Tile roof batten spacer

ABSTRACT

The tile roof batten spacer has a rectangular base with rounded ends for preventing water from pooling. The rounded ends extend upwardly above the base, and on an inner part of rounded ends there are gripping members that receive wooden battens for mounting concrete tiles thereon. The tile roof batten spacer is made from polypropylene plastic and saves energy on new residential houses by elevating the batten and the concrete tile by about one additional centimeter, or ⅜ of an inch, from the sheathing. This provides ample room for the air to flow for better ventilation on the roof, as well as providing a greater area for drainage when water seeps through on to the sheathing. Thus, less energy is used to cool the home, and the roof lasts longer, since water will drain off the sheathing.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to roofs for buildings, and more particularly to a tile roof batten spacer that is used to create a space between the batten and the sheathing on the roof.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Adequate drainage and ventilation is critical to proper installation of a tiled roof. Drainage is critical because accumulation of water behind and under roof tiles can lead to serious and expensive problems, such as standing water, ice dams in cold climates, wood rot, roof leakage, and structural failure. Ventilation is critical to reduce heat transfer through an attic space and into any occupied living space. The tile roof creates an air space between the tile and roof sheathing that acts as thermal barrier. Creating a flow of air through this air space can help dissipate accumulated heat. Thus, the air space between the roof sheathing and the installed tile forms a highly effective thermal barrier that ventilates and cools in hot climates and helps prevent ice dams in cold regions.

Typically, tile roofs include several layers of materials. Over the trusses and/or rafters, there is often a layer of exterior plywood covered with roofing paper or felt. This sheathing supports roof battens that are fastened directly to the sheathing, with the roof tiles overlaying on top of the battens.

Conventionally, roof battens are wooden and are 2.54×5.1 cm (1″×2″) and about 121.9 centimeters (4′) long. The wooden battens are typically secured by nails, screws, or staples to a sloping roof in generally horizontal lines at intervals dictated by the roof tiles to be applied over the battens. The battens are useful in applying tiles to the roof. However, there are problems using wooden battens.

Among these problems is the tendency of such battens to collect water on the roof surface underneath the tiles, because the battens lie flat on the sheathing. When wood battens are used, water that has seeped through or between the tiles will accumulate behind the battens and form small pools.

More specifically, the wooden battens create a dam that will lead to storage of water on the sheathing. This pooling can set up damage to a large portion of the sheathing. When water collects or stands in this manner, it will often infiltrate the sheathing and into the underlying structure of the roof, leading to roof deterioration, interior mold, and permanent damage.

Batten designs that elevate the attachment layer over an open structure underneath, such as a double batted system, are complicated to produce and increase the cost of the roofing, in many cases requiring special tiles for use with the roofing system. Single layer battens with grooves, chambers or other openings provided for drainage and ventilation are susceptible to clogging from dirt and debris that collects between battens and the roof surface. Providing more frequent holes runs the risk of weakening the batten by increasing the non-supporting regions of the batten.

Thus, a tile roof batten spacer solving the aforementioned problems of drainage and ventilation is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The tile roof batten spacer is positioned on sheathing of a concrete tile roof prior to the fastening of wooden battens to the sheathing. The tile roof spacer creates a space between the sheathing and battens for air ventilation and water drainage. The tile roof batten spacer is made from polypropylene plastic and has a rectangular center section with a closed bottom for placement on the sheathing and a spaced top for receiving the battens. Polypropylene plastic is ideal as a material because it is lightweight and repels water and oils. In use, the tile roof batten spacer forms a centimeter or 0.375 inch space between the battens and the sheathing. Thus, the tile roof batten spacer lifts, raises or elevates the battens off the sheathing for air ventilation around the battens and water drainage under the battens.

The tile roof batten spacer also has a pair of curved outer ends extending outwardly and upwardly from opposite sides of the rectangular center section. The curved outer ends are perpendicular to the received battens so that water coming in contact with a curved outer end will not pool on the sheathing. The pair of curved outer ends also has a flat section with vertical grooves for holding the battens.

To utilize the tile roof batten spacer and provide ventilation and drainage on a tile roof, a roofer places the tile roof batten spacer on the sheathing prior to mounting the battens. This forms a space between the battens and sheathing for ventilation and drainage. Based on the housing codes, the tile roof batten spacer is fastened to the sheathing. Lastly, the concrete tiles are fixed to the battens spaced from the sheathing.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial environmental perspective view of a tile roof batten spacer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tile roof batten spacer according to the present invention as seen from the top.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the tile roof batten spacer according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the tile roof batten spacer according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a fragmentary, environmental, perspective view of a roof to be tiled, generally indicated with numeral 10. On the roof 10 are roof sheathing 12, wooden battens or batts 14, concrete S-shaped roof tiles 16, nails or fasteners 19, and tile roof batten spacers 20. The roof sheathing 12 is placed over a roof surface so that the entire roof surface is covered with the roof sheathing 12. The roof sheathing 12 is preferably comprised of felt paper or any other similar type of durable, single-ply sheet material or sheathing.

The batts or battens 14 are positioned on top of the roof sheathing 12 so that the battens 14 extend across the roof 10. The battens 14 are generally evenly spaced and aligned over the entire area of the roof sheathing 12.

The tile roof batten spacers 20 are identical and are formed one hundred percent recyclable polypropylene. The spacer 20 is installed under the 2.54×5.1×121.9 cm (1×2 in×4 ft) wood batten 14. The battens 14 are used on the roof to fasten the concrete roof tile 16 to the sheathing 12.

The tile roof batten spacer 20 elevates the batten 14 by about one centimeter (about ⅜ inches) from the sheathing 12 to give more space between the concrete tile 16 and the sheathing on the roof. Nails 19 are used to fasten the battens 14 individually to the tile roof batten spacers 20. Normally, every other spacer 20 is fastened, depending on the housing building codes for the area. Thus, with the spacing, raising, or elevating of the batten 14, even more air can flow, increasing ventilation and reducing temperatures in a home covered with the tile roofing system 10.

The tile roof batten spacer 20 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. As shown in the drawings, the tile roof batten spacer 20 is symmetrical so that a roofer using the tile roof batten spacer 20 will not confuse the positioning of the tile roof batten spacer 20.

The tile roof batten spacer 20 includes a base 21 that is generally rectangular in shape with ends 22, 23 being arcuate or rounded. The rounded ends 22, 23 extend upwardly above the base 21 and are spaced apart by a distance about equal to the width of the batten 14, defining a generally U-shaped channel dimensioned and configured for supporting a batten 14 extending through the channel. The height of ends 22,23 may be slightly less the thickness of the batten 14. On an inner part of rounded ends 22, 23 are ribs or gripping members 25, 26 that receive the wooden batten 14. The gripping members 25, 26 define vertical grooves that extend upwardly from the base 21 and slightly towards center 27 of the tile roof batten spacer 20. The central portions 28, 29 of ends 22, 23 are hollow down to the base 21 to save on costs by reducing the amount of polypropylene plastic required per spacer 20. Similarly, the rectangular base 21 is formed with four square, hollowed base sections 31, 32, 33, and 34 positioned around a cruciform center 27 to reduce the amount of polypropylene plastic and subsequent cost of manufacturing the spacer 20.

As is known, polypropylene is a versatile polymer and is used both as a bulk plastic and as a fiber. Polypropylene is better suited for use in products subjected to extreme conditions, as it can be produced in a form that will not melt below 160 C. Polypropylene is also a plastic noted for its lightweight, being less dense than water, and it resists moisture, oils, and solvents. Thus, the spacer 20 can be made with a die installed in a machine relatively inexpensively, based on a volume order.

The tile roof batten spacer 20 will save energy on new residential houses by elevating the batten 14 and the roof tile 16 on the roof by one additional centimeter or ⅜ of an inch from the sheathing 12 to give more space between the concrete tile 16 and the felt sheathing 12. This provides more room for the air to flow for better ventilation on the roof. Thus, an attic of a house is less warm inside and an air conditioning unit will work less as well as save energy.

With respect to drainage, with the batten 14 raised, elevated, or spaced from the sheathing 12, there is no pooling or damming of any water. Additionally, the wooden batten 14 will not get wet and rot. In fact, only the tile roof batten spacer 20 is exposed to draining water. With the ends 22, 23 being curved, the draining water will run off the spacer 20. Thus, no pools, dams, clogs, or standing water will form or collect on the sheathing 12.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A tile roof batten spacer, comprising a one-piece body having: a rectangular center section having a closed bottom adapted for placement on roof sheathing; and a pair of curved outer ends extending outwardly and upwardly from opposite sides of the rectangular center section, the center section and outer ends defining a U-shaped channel having a width dimensioned and configured for receiving a roof batten, the spacer being adapted for supporting the roof batten in order to raise the roof batten and roof tiles above the roof sheathing for ventilation and drainage.
 2. The tile roof spacer according to claim 1, wherein said pair of curved outer ends have a substantially planar face facing the channel, the planar face having a plurality of alternating ribs and grooves defined therein adapted for gripping the batten.
 3. The tile roof spacer according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of ribs extend upwardly from said center section at an angle towards said channel in order to increase grip on the batten from bottom to top of each of said ribs.
 4. The tile roof spacer according to claim 1, wherein said rectangular center section has a plurality of hollow recesses to reduce overall weight of the tile roof spacer.
 5. The tile roof spacer according to claim 1, wherein each of said curved ends includes a hollow recess to reduce overall weight of the tile roof spacer.
 6. The tile roof spacer according to claim 1, wherein said rectangular center section and said pair of curved ends each have at least one hollow recess to reduce overall weight of the tile roof spacer.
 7. The tile roof spacer according to claim 1, wherein said one-piece body is made of plastic.
 8. The tile roof spacer according to claim 1, wherein said one-piece body is made of polypropylene.
 9. A method for providing ventilation and drainage on a tile roof having sheathing and battens, comprising the steps of: providing at least one polypropylene plastic spacer; placing the at least one polypropylene plastic spacer on the sheathing; mounting the battens on the at least one polypropylene plastic spacer to form a space between the battens and sheathing for ventilation and drainage; and fixing tiles for the tile roof onto the battens. 